Financial end of the WIIU

[swal...@basinschools.net]

I joined the WIIU about 6 years ago.  I was a member of the Broward Teachers Union, and when the school board decided to tear up our contract, during the austerity that swept the nation shortly after the real estate crisis / financial meltdown. I had been skeptical of the effort to bring back the WIIU, it seemed like too big of a task for too small of a group of people, but when I saw the milquetoast response of our union leaders to our betrayal by the school board, I viewed the class struggle posture of the WIIU as the perfect counterpoint to our class collaborationist union. I joined WIIU and did my best to use my dual union membership as a means of trying to ignite a little class consciousness in the BTU.  In spite of a valiant effort on the part of myself and some other comrades,  not much came of it.  The years came and went, and most of our membership left.  I am the treasurer of the WIIU, sort of by default.  There is about $50 left in the treasury.  It is a year and a half since anyone but Andrew Gunderaman or myself has made a financiao contribution.  Andrew has been paying $5/month recently, even though the dues are only $2.  Last year I paid to renew the domain, but it's about time to renew it, and I'm wondering if it is worth it to continue.  I used to write a few things for the Industrial Union News, but I guess I have become a bit demoralized.  I would love it if we could have some people step in and revitalize the organization, and we could recruit a bunch of new people, but if that doesn't happen soon, it will probably be the end of the attempt to bring back the WIIU. It would be a shame, a lot of people seem to be getting interested in socialism, and I know of no other group that has articulated a plan to build a structure through which the working class could democratically wield the economy, but if the interest isn't there, I guess there isn't much alternative.  

[Thaddæus Eckard]

I applaud your willingness to dream.

I am finishing up a short work, around 30,000 words, on fighting dirty at work for better wages, benefits and conditions. Looking for a publisher willing to distribute DIY sabotage instructions.

Thad

Asheville, NC

On Friday, December 18, 2015, <swal...@basinschools.net> wrote:

I joined the WIIU about 6 years ago.  I was a member of the Broward Teachers Union, and when the school board decided to tear up our contract, during the austerity that swept the nation shortly after the real estate crisis / financial meltdown. I had been skeptical of the effort to bring back the WIIU, it seemed like too big of a task for too small of a group of people, but when I saw the milquetoast response of our union leaders to our betrayal by the school board, I viewed the class struggle posture of the WIIU as the perfect counterpoint to our class collaborationist union. I joined WIIU and did my best to use my dual union membership as a means of trying to ignite a little class consciousness in the BTU.  In spite of a valiant effort on the part of myself and some other comrades,  not much came of it.  The years came and went, and most of our membership left.  I am the treasurer of the WIIU, sort of by default.  There is about $50 left in the treasury.  It is a year and a half since anyone but Andrew Gunderaman or myself has made a financiao contribution.  Andrew has been paying $5/month recently, even though the dues are only $2.  Last year I paid to renew the domain, but it's about time to renew it, and I'm wondering if it is worth it to continue.  I used to write a few things for the Industrial Union News, but I guess I have become a bit demoralized.  I would love it if we could have some people step in and revitalize the organization, and we could recruit a bunch of new people, but if that doesn't happen soon, it will probably be the end of the attempt to bring back the WIIU. It would be a shame, a lot of people seem to be getting interested in socialism, and I know of no other group that has articulated a plan to build a structure through which the working class could democratically wield the economy, but if the interest isn't there, I guess there isn't much alternative.  

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--
"Educate! Organize! Emancipate!"
-- The Three Stars of the IWW

[Donald J Donaker (Don)]

 
I recently made promise to stay out of everyone's hair
but mind boggling questions pop up. Yesterday a
comment, posted here, has a 54 word sentence that states
in the first part, "a lot of people seem to be getting
interested in socialism." Are they those who are hopping
on Bernie's bandwagon? The later part of the sentence
states, "but if the interest isn't there."

 

Is that an interest based on an integral understanding of

unionism or a hodgepodge. If it is hodgepodge, than

move over, there is plenty more of the same out there

striving to attract converts.

 

Dreaming! Maybe that is it and the hell with facts. Is
that the case?

 

As for the Bernie gaggle, are they putting the cart
before the horse, politics first, unionism  after?

 

Isn't the program and principles of WIIU supposed to
be unionism first, which then drives a politics that

reflects it?

[Andrew Gunderman]

The art of reconstructing socialism is certain to be a hard sell in recovering times. I think most people still maintain with me, that the unions and all their third-tier policies are thickly embedded in the existing economic structure, and they serve to only reify it. Masses of industrial workers remain disconnected to unions or become loose affiliates with no real voice, but realize that capitalism works through political channels unavailable to them. So W.I.I.U. is a chance to connect, we sort out ideologies, relate our situation to other, and to some extent it has worked offsite.

 

Matt Andrews has been great to hear from but much of his inspirational activities have missed the W.I.I.U. site where they could've had more impact.  

 

The website itself has probably lost effectiveness over time but this didn't have to be. We do have a little of forum for debate here but got bogged down so much in internecine conflict that no energy remained to advance any message. Probably the socialism and Debs history should be relegated to one topical window on the site and a stream of new things have to be featured out of news/current events to extend a WIIU interpretation in an appealing way more people can subscribe to. That takes a few collaborations least of all financially I'm sure a substantial donation can recompense and put us al back on equal footing. 

---

From: workers-internation...@googlegroups.com <workers-internation...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of swal...@basinschools.net <swal...@basinschools.net>
Sent: Friday, December 18, 2015 6:47 PM
To: Workers' International Industrial Union
Subject: Financial end of the WIIU

 

I joined the WIIU about 6 years ago.  I was a member of the Broward Teachers Union, and when the school board decided to tear up our contract, during the austerity that swept the nation shortly after the real estate crisis / financial meltdown. I had been skeptical of the effort to bring back the WIIU, it seemed like too big of a task for too small of a group of people, but when I saw the milquetoast response of our union leaders to our betrayal by the school board, I viewed the class struggle posture of the WIIU as the perfect counterpoint to our class collaborationist union. I joined WIIU and did my best to use my dual union membership as a means of trying to ignite a little class consciousness in the BTU.  In spite of a valiant effort on the part of myself and some other comrades,  not much came of it.  The years came and went, and most of our membership left.  I am the treasurer of the WIIU, sort of by default.  There is about $50 left in the treasury.  It is a year and a half since anyone but Andrew Gunderaman or myself has made a financiao contribution.  Andrew has been paying $5/month recently, even though the dues are only $2.  Last year I paid to renew the domain, but it's about time to renew it, and I'm wondering if it is worth it to continue.  I used to write a few things for the Industrial Union News, but I guess I have become a bit demoralized.  I would love it if we could have some people step in and revitalize the organization, and we could recruit a bunch of new people, but if that doesn't happen soon, it will probably be the end of the attempt to bring back the WIIU. It would be a shame, a lot of people seem to be getting interested in socialism, and I know of no other group that has articulated a plan to build a structure through which the working class could democratically wield the economy, but if the interest isn't there, I guess there isn't much alternative.  

[Andrew Gunderman]

I guess the decision was against renewal of the domain but with the same financial activity. Where else could a member start or change his donations?  

---

From: workers-internation...@googlegroups.com <workers-internation...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of swal...@basinschools.net <swal...@basinschools.net>
Sent: Friday, December 18, 2015 6:47 PM
To: Workers' International Industrial Union
Subject: Financial end of the WIIU

 

I joined the WIIU about 6 years ago.  I was a member of the Broward Teachers Union, and when the school board decided to tear up our contract, during the austerity that swept the nation shortly after the real estate crisis / financial meltdown. I had been skeptical of the effort to bring back the WIIU, it seemed like too big of a task for too small of a group of people, but when I saw the milquetoast response of our union leaders to our betrayal by the school board, I viewed the class struggle posture of the WIIU as the perfect counterpoint to our class collaborationist union. I joined WIIU and did my best to use my dual union membership as a means of trying to ignite a little class consciousness in the BTU.  In spite of a valiant effort on the part of myself and some other comrades,  not much came of it.  The years came and went, and most of our membership left.  I am the treasurer of the WIIU, sort of by default.  There is about $50 left in the treasury.  It is a year and a half since anyone but Andrew Gunderaman or myself has made a financiao contribution.  Andrew has been paying $5/month recently, even though the dues are only $2.  Last year I paid to renew the domain, but it's about time to renew it, and I'm wondering if it is worth it to continue.  I used to write a few things for the Industrial Union News, but I guess I have become a bit demoralized.  I would love it if we could have some people step in and revitalize the organization, and we could recruit a bunch of new people, but if that doesn't happen soon, it will probably be the end of the attempt to bring back the WIIU. It would be a shame, a lot of people seem to be getting interested in socialism, and I know of no other group that has articulated a plan to build a structure through which the working class could democratically wield the economy, but if the interest isn't there, I guess there isn't much alternative.  

[David C]

God forbid that workers should become "interested in socialism" but not have a complete understanding of Marxism from beginning to end. Can we please remember that socialism isn't for academics, but for workers, who far more often than not have neither the time nor the education to read long works written in difficult language more than a century ago? If people don't fully understand unionism, educate them! Isn't that what organizations like this are supposed to be for?

[Bill]

Well said David.

This site sounds like an academic debate -- not worker education.

Enough already.

[swal...@basinschools.net]

I  think you're right, I also will be looking for a better place to direct my energies.

[unionsocialist]

.... im always to late for intresting things like this...well when my studies are done I will try to revive socialist industrial unionism for the world. salutes

[Scott Wallace]

We still have a facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/Workers-International-Industrial-Union-116361638389331/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

and a related page

https://www.facebook.com/groups/industrialunion/

On Monday, February 6, 2017 1:39 AM, unionsocialist <revolutioni...@gmail.com> wrote:

.... im always to late for intresting things like this...well when my studies are done I will try to revive socialist industrial unionism for the world. salutes